Leaf spring suspensions are commonly used for heavy vehicle applications, and can be used as front or rear suspensions. A leaf spring suspension includes one or more leaf springs overlaid on one another, and having one end mounted to a forward frame portion and an opposite end mounted to a rearward portion. A center portion of the leaf springs is clamped to an axle beam or housing, which defines a lateral axis. One leaf spring suspension is mounted to the axle beam or housing at each lateral side of a vehicle.
This type of suspension is known to provide good ride and handling performance. One disadvantage with this type of suspension is that it is not very resistant to “wind up” during braking applications. During heavy braking applications, the axle beam has a tendency to wind up or wrap around the lateral axis. This wind up causes spring deformation, which is not desirable. Future braking regulations will require even more powerful brakes, which will further exacerbate the wind up problem.
Thus, there is a need for an improved suspension assembly that is resistant to wind up generated by braking forces.